Celebrate water power history Thursday

It’s been 50 years since Avista’s Noxon Rapids Hydroelectric dam first generated electricity. That’s half a century of supplying clean renewable energy to residents of Idaho and Washington. We’re not letting this event slip by without a bit of celebration. This Thursday, Oct. 1, we’re going to rededicate the dam in a public ceremony that you can attend. We’ll also be providing rare tours of the dam (yes, actually inside the thing).

During this same event we’re also recognizing the 10-year anniversary of the Clark Fork Settlement agreement. This is a multi-stakeholder agreement for managing and protecting the natural resources associated with the hydro project. This agreement has been held up across the country as a model of doing hydro projects the right way.

If you’d like to attend the event, be at Pilgrim Creek Park in Noxon, Mont., noon MST. Buses will take you to the dam overlook for ceremonies. The rededication ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at the lower Noxon Rapids overlook, and will include remarks by Scott Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Avista Corp., Richard Opper, director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and a representative of Montana Trout Unlimited.

The community celebration will be held at Pilgrim Creek Park beginning at 3 p.m., and will include public tours of Noxon Rapids Dam, as well as a picnic, music, displays and poster contest awards.

A dam tour for those attending the ceremony begins at 2 p.m. Buses leave Pilgrim Creek Park for the two other public tours of the dam at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tours should take 90-minutes including roundtrip drive time. Noxon is not a public facility and therefore is not ADA accessible. Tour participants must be able to walk for an extended period of time and climb stairs. You must register and show photo ID to take the tour. Children under 18, must register and be accompanied by an adult. Wear close-toed comfortable walking shoes.

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